Me, Zhang Keying, and Xie Chuchu first lowered the body. We searched him and found no belongings, only some tissues. Given that the deceased was wearing pajamas, it was understandable that no valuables were on him.
I lifted the deceased's eyelids and examined his pupils with a shadowless lamp. I squeezed his skin and determined the time of death to be about 5 hours ago. It was now 6 PM, so that would be around 1 PM. I asked Xia Hou to retrieve the surveillance footage. As I manipulated the deceased's limbs, I noticed something felt stuck in several joints, indicating a clue.
We were about to undress the deceased. Indeed, we found something amiss. This time, I decided not to take the body back for examination. After all, I had enough materials in my forensic kit to use another secret technique from the He family, the "Living Corpse Technique." This absolutely did not mean reanimating the corpse. It was called that because, given the short time since death, it could be used.
The Living Corpse Technique allowed the traces on the deceased to reappear under rigor mortis conditions at this stage. Moreover, I noticed the deceased's rigor mortis was much more pronounced than expected for this timeframe, and I wondered what might have caused it. Without this technique, I feared I might overlook something.
"Xia Hou, could you go buy me some lubricant, cordyceps, and honey?"
"Sure, team leader. What forensic technique are you using this time?"
"You'll find out soon. Hurry back, don't delay. I'm a bit pressed for time here!"
Xia Hou set off. I first asked Zhang Keying and Ling Xiaotao to help me prepare some Chinese herbs. Meanwhile, Xie Chuchu began to undress the deceased. A naked, elderly male corpse then appeared before us.
At that moment, Liu Yuning seemed to recognize the man, saying, "I've heard of this person before."
"This is Professor Zhang from the Forensic Medicine Department of Gaogang City."
"Yes, that gentleman is also a prominent figure in the forensic community. Coupled with Elder Liang from last time, could the killer be targeting forensic experts?" Liu Yuning speculated.
"You go investigate the deceased's social relationships first. Although this case is still bizarre, the only relatively easy aspect to approach is the deceased's personal connections!"
"But I have a feeling it might not be useful. The killer must have considered this."
"Just go and check!"
Liu Yuning didn't leave but instead found Xiao Yuande to handle it. Lu Chusheng then went to check the surveillance footage.
When Xia Hou returned with all the items I requested, I didn't waste any time. I had everyone present help me grind the medicinal powders. Then, I took my forensic kit, opened the forensic umbrella, placed it by a window in the sunlight, and installed the shadowless reflector tube. Sunlight, though scarce this season, streamed in, which was enough for my needs.
Once the powders were ready, I squeezed the lubricant and cordyceps together, crushed them, and added an appropriate amount of honey. I heated the mixture with an alcohol lamp. With these essential components prepared, I took out my autopsy pen, which I hadn't used in a long time. I dipped it into the medicinal liquid and applied it to the deceased. Then, I bound the corpse with several ropes and, looking at the hanging chandelier, estimated Zhang Hongchang's weight. It should be sufficient.
I still had these ropes in my forensic kit, so I used them directly. I asked Xia Hou to move a table over. Standing on it, I tied ropes to all of Zhang Hongchang's limbs and then attached them to the chandelier.
Thus, the body hung in mid-air like a seesaw. The scene was undeniably eerie. Everyone was completely baffled as to what I was doing. Even Zhang Keying and Xie Chuchu looked astonished, as if watching a madman messing around.
At this moment, I took out a sprayer, filled it with the medicine I had just concocted, and began spraying it onto Zhang Hongchang's body, as if watering a plant. Gao Mingqiang was absent, but Xia Hou, in his stead, comically asked, "Team leader, are you demonstrating how to water flowers for us here?"
"Watering flowers? Don't be like Gao Mingqiang, speaking nonsense. This is the Living Corpse Technique, understand? Stop playing those boring single-player games with him. Read some books on criminal investigation or forensic examination when you have time!"
"Uh, got it, team leader!"
After being reprimanded, no one dared to retort. Although they found me peculiar, they quietly and patiently continued to watch.
Finally, my sprayer was empty. The corpse immediately began to soften at a visible rate. Even Liu Yuning, who was the furthest away, noticed a detail: the body, hanging by the ropes, seemed to be like a sponge, slowly slipping down at a visible speed!
I quickly supported the body. The previously stiff joints had now all become supple. It seemed the He family's secret technique, the Living Corpse Technique, had succeeded. In fact, the full name of this technique should be the Corpse Loosening Technique.
I untied the ropes and placed him on the table. This time, when I moved the deceased's joints, a tearing sound was heard under his armpit. I was astonished to realize a serious problem: the deceased had a hidden injury at this location!
What kind of method caused this?
I measured the wound and observed it further, using the forensic umbrella and the last rays of the setting sun to illuminate it. A crescent-shaped wound was deeply imprinted in my mind.
Everyone immediately took photos. I then flipped the deceased over, only to find similar wounds on his back, and in surprisingly large numbers. I counted them; there seemed to be 16 in total.
"I need to verify Elder Liang's body using the same method when I get back!"
"You suspect Elder Liang was also attacked, but it just wasn't discovered before?"
"Highly possible. It's my fault for being careless. If only I could have used the Corpse Loosening Technique back then..."
"It's not too late now!"
I instructed the others to thoroughly search the scene, ensuring nothing was missed, and then I rushed back to the provincial department.
Xie Chuchu and Ling Xiaotao cooperated with me completely. We subjected Elder Liang's body to the same procedure, and soon, similar crescent-shaped wounds indeed appeared on his body. Looking at the corpse, I murmured again, "So that's how it is. Based on the muscle contractions, Elder Liang's true fatal injury should be here. The heavy blow to the back of his head was merely to confuse our judgment. This is the killer's counter-surveillance capability on a technical level."